Hong Kong: Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung Dies at Age 73

Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-Cheung, bishop of Hong Kong since August 2017, died on Thursday, January 3, 2018, at the age of 73, Vatican media reported January 3.

Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong since 2014, Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-Cheung was appointed Ordinary of the Diocese by Pope Francis in August 2017, to succeed Cardinal John Tong Hon. Born in Shanghai on December 1, 1945 in a Catholic family, he arrived in Hong Kong at the age of four. He worked in an import-export company before entering the Hong Kong seminary at age 26. Ordained a priest on June 10, 1978, he studied communication and philosophy and education in the United States. From August 2003, he was head of Caritas territory and vicar general from 2009.

According to the same source, Bishop Yeung has always had at heart the situation of young people on the territory, penalized by the lack of job prospects, the cost of housing and the lack of democracy.

“Our youth,” he said in one of his recent interviews with AsiaNews Agency, “are victims of economic development, are frustrated because they demand more justice and freedom. But they are impatient, they seek a gratification right away. But you can not plant a tree in the morning and pick the fruits at night. It is urgent to reach the young people and to be close to them to help them to discern, to help them in their daily lives so that they understand and live the call of Jesus. It is necessary to help them mature in a spirit that gives them the strength to move forward.”

In addition, Bishop Yeung has never ceased to demand for Hong Kong the respect of the principle “one nation, two systems” which guarantees the territory an ample autonomy.

A statement from the diocese of Hong Kong indicates that Bishop Yeung died of the consequences of cirrhosis and that he had struggled in recent years against a tumor. He had been hospitalized on December 27 at the Canossa Hospital.

The diocese of Hong Kong has an auxiliary bishop in the person of Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing.

I express my sorrow and closeness to the dear people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, affected by Cyclone Idai. I entrust the many victims and their families to the mercy of God. #PrayForAfrica #cycloneIdai